Do you check the quality of milk you consume? If not, read this
Checking the purity of milk at home is crucial to ensure it is free from adulterants and safe for consumption. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) recommends several simple tests to detect common adulterants in milk. These tests are easy to perform and can help you identify if the milk is pure or contaminated.
Water adulteration test
Take a drop of milk and put it on a polished, slanting surface. Observe the behavior of the milk drop.
Observation
Pure milk: The drop either remains in place or flows slowly, leaving a white trail behind.
Adulterated with water: The drop flows quickly without leaving a trail.
Pure milk has higher viscosity and surface tension compared to water-adulterated milk.
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Starch adulteration test
Boil 2-3 ml of milk and let it cool. Add 2-3 drops of iodine solution to the milk.
Observation
Pure milk: The color remains unchanged or turns slightly yellowish.
Adulterated with starch: The milk turns blue.
Iodine reacts with starch to form a blue-colored complex, indicating the presence of starch.
Detergent adulteration test
Take 5 ml of milk in a transparent glass and add an equal amount of water. Shake the mixture vigorously.
Observation
Pure milk: No lather formation or very minimal.
Adulterated with detergents: Persistent lather or froth forms.
Detergents lower the surface tension of milk, causing the formation of froth when shaken.
Urea adulteration test
Take 5 ml of milk in a test tube. Add an equal amount of soybean or arhar powder.
Shake well and let it sit for 5 minutes. Dip a red litmus paper in the mixture.
Observation
Pure milk: The red litmus paper remains red or slightly changes.
Adulterated with urea: The red litmus paper turns blue.
Urea in the milk raises the pH level, causing the red litmus paper to turn blue.
Presence of formalin
Take 10 ml of milk in a test tube. Add 2-3 drops of concentrated sulphuric acid along the sides of the test tube without shaking.
Observation
Pure milk: No color change at the interface of the milk and acid.
Adulterated with formalin: A violet or blue ring appears at the interface.
Formalin reacts with sulphuric acid to form a colored complex.
Synthetic milk test
Take 5 ml of milk and mix it with an equal amount of water. Shake the mixture vigorously.
Observation
Pure milk: It will not form a stable lather.
Synthetic milk: It forms a persistent, frothy lather due to the presence of synthetic detergents.
Synthetic detergents in adulterated milk create a frothy lather when mixed with water.
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